Would you be surprised that a Penn alum produced the soon-to-be released film Jewtopia? : )
Find out more after the jump!
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Showing posts with label Filmmakers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Filmmakers. Show all posts
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Would you be surprised that a Penn alum produced the soon-to-be released film Jewtopia? : )
Find out more after the jump!
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Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Marc now has a fascinating new documentary called "Unraveled" debuting next week in NYC and LA which explores the downfall of Marc Dreier, a prominent Manhattan attorney, who was convicted of orchestrating a massive fraud scheme.
After the jump,
- learn more about the film
- watch Marc explain in an interview on Bloomberg TV how this project was a personal one for him
- find out the most surprising thing he learned about Marc Dreier
- and find out more about how he is both a lawyer and a filmmaker at the same time!
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Tuesday, October 25, 2011
I cover lots of traditional entertainment career pursuits from alumni on DT like acting, filmmaking, and writing, but equally creative can be that of Marketing.
After the jump, check out a promo spot for ESPN that Universal Media Promotions and Marketing manager Melisa Kirkup (C'01) worked on for the new movie Tower Heist (in theaters Nov. 4th) featuring Ben Stiller as well as Mark Sanchez and LaDainian Tomlinson of the New York Jets. Plus check out Melisa's advice to re: job searching.
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Friday, October 21, 2011
Earlier this week, I posted an article about 2 Penn filmmakers that need your vote in an innovative film contest.
Duc-Minh Nguyen (C'07, DP, MUSE, Dining Philosophers, VSA), another Penn alum with another great film just emailed in and he also needs your vote!
After the jump watch his beautiful film and vote! Please "like" or "retweet" this article to help spread the word! (voting ends Oct. 23)
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Wednesday, October 19, 2011
I love when different Penn people email me about the same contest they have entered themselves in.
It happened here and it's happening again for a special Halloween related contest; I was contacted by a Penn alum and a Penn undergrad who have created some very creative films for a very creative film contest called "THE ABCS of DEATH".
After the jump, watch their films and vote for them by October 31! (help get out the vote by "liking" this post and tweeting about it!)
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Friday, October 14, 2011
Not only does his high-larious next Harold and Kumar movie debut in a couple of months, but we're now just getting a first glimpse of writer/director Jon Hurwitz's (W'00) take on the next installment of the American Pie franchise.
And it looks wrong, and funny!
After the jump, hold onto your socks and check out this NSFW trailer for his American Reunion movie!
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Thursday, March 3, 2011
Recently, Ryan wrote a new horror-comedy film that stars an iconic horror comedy actor!
After the jump find out who, check out the trailer, ...and follow the 17 steps he took to turn this film into a reality (must read!)
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Thursday, November 4, 2010
In years past, I've talked about the best entertainment internship you can get while you're an undergrad.
From the same people who bring you this awesome internship (the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences), there is a contest that all talented undergrad filmmakers should enter: the 32nd College Television Awards.
Categories include: Animation, Children, Comedy, Commercial, Documentary, Drama, Loreen Arbus Focus on Disability Scholarship, Magazine, Music - Best Composition, Music - Best Use, Newscast, Reality, Series - Narrative
More about the competition after the jump!
More entetainment related contests HERE
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Wednesday, January 20, 2010
If a piece of food is labeled "organic", how much do you trust that it is good for you?
One Penn filmmaker explores this and his findings may surprise you...
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Wednesday, July 29, 2009
"The Rainbow" is a film Alex Berger (Eng'10) made during a Video II class at Penn. The idea of the assignment was to make a visual poem—where image and words come together without the use of formal dialogue.
Per Alex,
"I had seen Kevin McMullin’s film, "The Boy and the Star", and I thought it was amazing. The story was simple, yet eloquent, and the stylistic elements he employed fit so well. In addition, the film fit my style as a filmmaker. Black and white, high contrast, close-up imagery, are all stylistic elements that I often used. After receiving the assignment, I set out to recreate Kevin’s film. I wanted to use the assignment as a way to experiment with the style and to attempt to figure out exactly how Kevin made this. In the stylistic sense, I did base my film “The Rainbow” on Kevin’s film. I have never met Kevin, so I felt it was appropriate to give credit to his work, because it closely influenced mine."
The premise of Alex's film is that this boy has presumably lost everything in his life that matters. He yells and yells so loud that the fire blows out, and the smoke forms clouds up above. The clouds lead to rain, and eventually a rainbow is formed. The story then becomes the quest to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
Alex continues,
"I wanted to depict the feeling of losing something and the artificial journey that can ensue after one has this type of experience. It was not meant to be a light-hearted, joyous story, and I think the whimsical style counters this nicely. I think the filmed turned out well, but it was not something that I enjoyed making. It was one of those projects where I filmed for 4 hours and edited for another 20 hours to make a 5-minute movie. As Kevin can attest to, it was largely made in the editing studio."
Other impressive Class Project films
More posts from my "Penn's REEL deals" series
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The last of Amin's films I will post this week is also again, strangely enjoyable. The description of this trailer is as follows:
"Two stoners. A severed hand. A damsel in distress. This is one 4/20 they'll never forget. Unless they do, because it's 4/20."
Other impressive Class Project films
More posts from my "Penn's REEL deals" series
Read More......
Over the past couple of years on DT, I have showcased some enjoyably disturbing films...most of them coming from Penn new Penn alum Amin Osman (C'09).
Today on DT there are a couple more of Amin's short films that you'll find very entertaining.
If you thought he's been dark before, check out this one above called "Table for Three". You'll never go back to your date's place again without thinking of this film!
Other impressive Class Project films
More posts from my "Penn's REEL deals" series
Read More......
Monday, July 27, 2009
Hollywood alumni.. set up a meeting with this young filmmaker, because he's going places...
Kevin McMullin (C'09, in picture below in tanktop) is another story of talent combined with motivation and perseverance with all the potential of lots of Hollywood success. With his Penn award winning script and some great short films under his belt, Kevin decided to graduate Penn a year early to pursue his dreams.
(l to r: Kevin McMullin (C'09), lead actor John Blakeslee, and cinematographer Sean Emer)
Thanks to the digital revolution and through lots of favors, Kevin has been able to make his feature film Exit 117 for less than $850. The film is an ensemble comedy-drama in the spirit of Rob Reiner’s “Stand By Me” and Richard Linklater’s “Slacker” about a group of recent high school graduates coming to terms with where they are and where they’re going in their lives.
...If you forgot, early last year, Kevin's short film "The Boy and The Star" was my #3 pick in in my series: Top Penn Videos that will give you the chills. As you'll see in Kevin's trailer above, this film also has a very special artistic feel that will be sure to move you!
How did Kevin get his start and what's his plan now?
Per Kevin,
"I have been making short films since I was a 12 years old with friends and after high school I chose Penn over film school to get a broader liberal arts education. While I was there I won first place at the Greater Philadelphia Student Film Festival two years in a row, which funneled my shorts into the international Philadelphia Film Festival.
I decided to condense my time at Penn into three years to pursue filmmaking and put money toward this endeavor. I wrote the screenplay for this feature in my Intro to Screenwriting Class with Kathy Van Cleve and kept rewriting over the next year. It won the 2009 Flesch Screenwriting Award at Penn. With this prize money and some savings I shot “Exit 117” for less than $850 on lots of borrowed equipment and natural sunlight.
This is another example of Penn undergrads working together. Kevin teamed up with friends:
- Rodrigo Suarez (C, ENG’10) and Blake West (C’09) who contribute music to the soundtrack
- Andrew Stern (W’10) who acts as the Radio DJ’s voice over
- Jessica Brown (Grad Education ’09) who has been the pre-production manager and a production assistant
- and Jon-Marc Balint (C'10) who has a supporting role in the film and is associate producer.
More on Kevin's Exit 117 site HERE
Join Kevin's Exit 117 facebook group HERE
More of posts from my "Penn's REEL deals" series
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Over the past few weeks I have been aggregating some great short films from Penn alumni and undergrads that will move you, surprise you, creep you out, scintillate you, tickle your funny bone, ...and overall impress you!
I decided to showcase them this entire week in a new DT series I'm calling "Penn's REEL deals".
Be kept in the loop and sign up for the newsletter below or follow me on Twitter!
(In the meantime, check out my other DT series by looking down the right-hand column of this site)
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Friday, April 24, 2009
As I reported HERE the other week via exclusive videos, despite having good grades and extra curricular activities, there is still much anxiety associated with a prospect waiting to find out if he or she will get into Penn.
If you think this is bad, imagine what some parents need to do to get their child into ...nursery school!
Documentary filmmaker Marc Simon (C'96, SAM) has created a movie that many parents...especially in the NY and California regions will relate to. The film covers the (absurd!) process of getting their child into nursery school and what nursery school admissions is all about.
Per Marc (kneeling in picture below),
"From the moment parents learn they are "having a baby", they focus on providing a happy and healthy environment and the best opportunities for their kids. This includes planning for their children's education, and today, for moms and dads across this country, the pressures associated with schooling begin early - very early. Nursery University gets inside nursery school admissions -- a modern day cultural right of passage -- with sensitivity and a great sense of humor, inviting the audience behind the scenes to experience and learn from this stranger-than-fiction reality."
Nursery University Opens April 24th@ PHOENIX ADLABS IMAGINASIAN THEATRE
239 EAST 59TH STREET, NYC - BETWEEN 2ND AND 3RD
Friday 11:30, 1:45, 4:30, 7:00, 9:15
Saturday 11:30, 1:45, 4:30, 7:00, 9:15
Sunday 11:30, 1:45, 4:30, 7:00, 9:15
Monday - Thursday 1, 3, 5, 7, 9
www.movietickets.com
**Q and A's after every screening with the film makers, families, heads of schools. and pre school experts.
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Friday, January 30, 2009
In light of this weekend's Superbowl, I have a special treat for all of you.
Filmmaker David Isser (C'01) has gone from documentaries to now comedies ...and in his latest one, Gameday (above), check out a guy who cleverly tries to find out the score of the big game from his buddies, while he's stuck in the car with his girlfriend who hates football.
Girls and guys out there will enjoy this I'm sure!
Also, be sure to also check out the show Dave edited for the Discovery show on February 8th, 9pm ET/PT, 8PM CT called "The Science of Sex Appeal". Sounds very interesting...
Speaking of football, did you check out Jordan Zucker's (C'97) very creative weekly videos from her Girls Guide to Fantasty Football website. Go over there and check them out!
Check out my other Funny Friday posts here!
Click here to learn how David got started as a film director
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Friday, May 2, 2008
On this day of remembering the 6 million Jewish lives that were lost during the Holocaust, I want to bring to your attention Swimming in Auschwitz, the fantastic documentary from filmmaker Jon Kean (C'89, Mask and Wig, Friars).
Per Jon, "The interwoven stories of six women provide a glimpse into life, spirit and survival at the notorious concentration camp, Auschwitz."
From May 2 - May 9, Jon will be attending the weekend
screenings at the Beverly Hills Laemmle's Music Hall in the evenings to lead Q and A's (and the women in the film will try to attend select screenings as well).
More at Jon's website
See which Penn undergrads and alumni are registered on DuelingTampons.com
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Friday, March 28, 2008
As you may recall from my previous post, filmmaker Stephen Robert Morse (C'07, DP /34th Street) got funding from Wharton to create a political documentary.From his Spring '07 Cinema Production course, Stephen has now submitted an entirely different type of film he wants to show us. ...A comedy that deals with "the morning after", revenge, STDs and all sorts of goodness. Look out for the use of Smokes as a location in the film. And try not to cringe when you see how the lead character uses Listerine to help his "situation" out.
Watch The Morning After
Part 1
Part 2
Stephen is now pursuing a Master's in Scriptwriting at the University of East Anglia and working at Blake Friedmann Agency in London, and plans to move out to LA in May '08 to find a job in the entertainment business.
The Morning After stars:
Marc Friedman (C'07), Lia Zneimer (C'09), Lizzie Frasco (C'08), Alex Weinstein (C'07), Leah Feder (C'07), Tracy Webber (C'07), Caitlin Russell (C'07), The Spring '07 TEP pledge class, Eric Borowsky (C'07), Tom Campana (C'07), Alex Solether (C'08), Andrea Kohn (C'09)
Check out other creative Class Project Films
See which Penn undergrads and alumni are registered on DuelingTampons.com
Check out our 800+ Penn videos
Add yourself to our facebook, friendster and/or myspace profiles!
Submitting a story to Dueling Tampons: What you need to know...
Thursday, February 21, 2008
For my "Now and Then Thursdays" series, I wanted to share one of my most favorite films I created back in 1996 about an obsessed woman who stops at nothing to find her man. Her man happens to be Waldo from the popular children's book series and finding him on Penn's campus may be a little tricker than she hoped.Starring Eric Stone (C'99) as Waldo nd Lily Hanna (C'96) as the obsessed chick
Parts of this video were taken during the 1996 Hey Day and Penn Relays. It's interesting to note that the same fun and craziness existed back in 1996 as the fun and craziness you'll see in the videos from Hey Day 2007 as well as the 2005 Penn Relays.
Check out my past "Now and Then Thursday" posts
Watch my other 1996 videos: "Love on the Go" and "Stacked Competition"
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weird code in description field and hit "delete")
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Friday, June 29, 2007
Writer/Producer Mikaelyn Austin's (C’04, Women's Basketball) feature-length documentary film The Palestra: Cathedral of Basketball, premieres next week on ESPN Classic and ESPN-U.
For those of you who haven't heard about this film, it traces the evolution of college basketball through the rise of one of the most historic basketball arenas in the country. The film traces the storied history of Big 5 basketball at the Palestra and features former Penn players and coaches including: current Penn Athletic Director Steve Bilsky, C’71, David “Corky” Calhoun, C’72, Chuck Daly, and Fran Dunphy.
I met Mikaelyn about 5 years ago when she was first starting this project and it's fantastic to see what such hard work and persistence can do. Congratulations, Mikaelyn!
Click here to see an interview with Mikaelyn
Click here to preview the film and learn more about the Palestra documentary and ESPN airings
ESPN Airings:
ESPN CLASSIC
Thursday, July 5th @ 10pm EST
Saturday, August 4th @ 8am EST
ESPN U
Wednesday, July 11th @ 10pm EST
Monday, July 16th @ 9pm EST
Friday, July 27th @ 9am EST
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